Band to perform Aug. 23 in Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

The Grascals, a six-piece bluegrass outfit from Nashville, make their way to the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall next Thursday. Formed in 2004, the band — Terry Eldredge, Jamie Johnson, Terry Smith, Danny Roberts, Jeremy Abshire and Kristin Scott Benson — are two-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year winners. Compass caught up with Johnson to chat about life on the road and the resurgence of bluegrass.

Compass: How’s the road treating you?

Jamie Johnson: It’s been great. We tour all year long, but we don’t stay gone for months at a time. We made the conscious effort when we started this band — we all have families, so we do about three to four dates a week at the most and then we always come back home so our kids remember what we look like.

Compass: Tell me a bit about the dynamics of the group. There are six of you. How do you gel and is it hard to find personal time?

J.J.: Well, the only personal time you actually get on the bus would be climbing into your little bunk, pulling the curtain back and watching TV. The good news is everybody is great friends in this band. We get along great. We have two lounges — one in the front and one in the back — with satellite TV, so we usually split up three and three. Like a spouse, you live with someone all the time — 24/7 — and there are going to be differences some time. I can maybe count on two fingers any time anyone’s even had a slight conflict. We’re just a low-key group, I guess.

Compass: Your latest album, Life Finds a Way, was released in March. Are you guys working on a new album yet?

J.J.: Yes, we are. We’re looking at maybe doing a gospel album and at the same time, a live DVD because folks in the past have always said they love our CDs, but it never shows the dynamics that we have on stage. We’re very high-energy. We learned that from the early days when we were Dolly Parton’s band. She taught us how to go out there and put on a great show.

Compass: Are you able to work on material on the road or are you too distracted?

J.J.: Um, ya, we don’t work on the road. I don’t think it’s distraction, I just think it’s that I’m lazy (laughs).

Compass: What do you think the future of bluegrass looks like? Have you seen resurgence with younger fans?

J.J.: I think the resurgence has been really popular ever since “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” I know that’s been beaten into the ground. But to me, that’s just the truth. It [the movie] really gave a huge boost to our music and with George Clooney lip-synching like he’s singing a bluegrass song all of the sudden made it cooler.

The Grascals will perform on Thursday, Aug. 23 in the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. Tickets are $30.50. Doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m. Go to pvconcerthall.com.